UAE women’s team retain GCC T20 title

Dubai: The UAE women’s cricket team extended their reign in the GCC Women’s Twenty20 Championship for the second year in succession, beating Qatar by five wickets.

A standout spell from Heena Hotchandani, who bagged four wickets for just five runs, saw UAE bowl out hosts Qatar for a paltry 47 runs in the final in Doha. UAE then reached the target losing five wickets. Chaya Mughal topscored with 26 runs.

UAE had won the inaugural edition of the tournament last year in Oman defeating Kuwait by 49 runs in the final. Subha Venkataraman won the best batswoman award for the second year in succession, scoring 150 runs in the tournament. The other stars of the tournament are Esha Oza, who scored 93 runs, and Humaira Tasneem who bagged six wickets.

Speaking to Gulf News, Manvi Dhodhi, Level One women’s coach, said: “Women cricketers are focused and determined to take their cricket to a next level. In the last one year we organised a lot of practices sessions and matches and we are now ready to face top team and participate in ICC events.”

Dhodhi who assists UAE coach Mohammad Hyder Ali.

Mazhar Khan, the Administrator of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) announced: “As part of our Women’s development plan, ECB intends to hold the next Gulf Cup in UAE next year. We will invite Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore along with Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The intention is to develop our quality of cricket by playing better ranked teams.”

Coach Hyder, who has worked tirelessly to lift UAE women’s cricket over the years, said: “This is the result of extensive training that the team underwent in the run-up to the tournament. There was a time when it was difficult to get women cricketers but today the turn out is massive and our successive victories will rub on everyone to give their best.”